Description

Men who know most about sharks are the men who fear them the least. That is not to be taken as the toastmaster’s old saw: “To know them is to love them.” Nobody loves a shark. Deep-sea sailors often fear them. Commercial fishermen hate them. Scientists have not dignified the breed with a great deal of intensive study. As a result landlubbers will believe any shark story they hear, provided it is gory enough. It is true that, if you get forced down in any tropical waters, you may come in contact with sharks. However, the more you know about them and the fewer legends about them you believe, the happier you will be in your predicament. Calm, intelligent conduct will enhance your chances of survival more than anything else known to date. Any carnivorous fishand that includes most of them from the tiniest minnow to the monstrous so-called “man-eater” tiger sharkwill go for a freshly cut piece of meat. It makes little difference whether the meat is from a fish or land animal. To put it on the line, at the outset of this pamphlet, there are a few authenticated cases of sharks attacking and killing human beings. But, remember that there also are authenticated cases of humans getting struck by lightning. One writer stated the chances of being killed by lightning were greater than the chances of being killed by a shark.